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(Application filed Nov. 26,

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State of Virginia, have invented new and use- NITE TATES ROMAINE AND ORLANDO G.

HINTON, OF SAME PLACE.

FlRE-CRACKER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 619,177, dated February '7, 1899.

A li ation {116a November 26, 1898. Serial no. 697,545. (roman T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN ROBERT HINTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Petersburg, in the county of Dinwiddie and ful Improvements in Fire-Crackers, of which the following is a specification.

The improvement which forms the subject of this patent is directed to provisions whereby what is known as the cannon-cracker is rendered safe and certain in its use and more attractive as a pyrotechnic.

It is of frequent occurrence in firing the cannon-cracker as a pyrotechnic that the fuse fails to quickly ignite the powder charge or that the fuse only partially burns and apparently goes out, but retains fire likely at any instant to ignite the powder charge. In such cases accidents have happened from handling it and in going near it by reason of its unexpected explosion.

It is the purpose of my improvement to provide cannon-crackers with means Whereby they are caused to give certain evidence that the, fuse has gone out and that there can be no explosionexcept it is preceded by a harmless combustion givinga loud whistling sound produced by a chemical composition thereby rendering the use of a pyrotechnic dangerous for men harmless for children.

The provision of a combustible whistling device to a cannon-cracker involves a construction in which such device, which contains the chemical composition, projects into space in the chamber containing the cannon charge, which only partially fills the cannonchamber, and as this whistling compound constitutes a fuse for igniting the cannon charge it is important that provision be made for certainly and quickly igniting the Whistling compound and for causing it as certainly to ignite the cannon charge. In these particulars my improvement will be specifically set out in the concluding claims, in connection with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate what I term a whistling cannoncracker, and in which Figure 1 shows in longitudinal section my improved whistling cannon-cracker wherein the device containing the combustible whistling compound is shown as projecting into non-chamber; and Fig. 4shows the Whistling device, in which the combustible whistling compound is at its junction with the firingfuse combined with an initialigniting powder charge and a terminal igniting powder charge for igniting the cannon charge.

The cannon-body is preferably formed of paper suitable for the purpose in cemented wrappings, producing a hollow cylindrical body of strong walls, within which a chamber for containing the cannon charge of powder is formed by a plug 2 of suit-able material at or near one end and a plug 3 of fire-clay near the firing end. In this clay plug is centrally seated the whistling device, which consists of a tube 4, formed of hard paper wrappings facture is described in the patent of Antonio Del Grande, No. 411,714, dated September 24, 1889, and the process of producing which consists in dissolving picric acid in hot water,

adding carbonate of magnesia thereto to form a solution of picrate of magnesia, then dissolving nitrate of potash in water, and mingling the latter solution with the former, producing a precipitate consisting of picrate of potash, and finally reducing said precipitate to a granular or condition of powder in which itis used as stated; but it will be understood that any suitable chemical composition may be employed so long as it has the capacity when ignited of producing the results stated. This combustible whistling compound does not fill the tube to its ends, but a space is left at each end, within which a small quantity of fine black powder is tamped in a wet condition, so as to form thin end plugs 6 and 7, to bind and hold solidly against the ends of the chemical whistling composition, thus supplementing a combustible whistling compound made solid in a long body with a comparatively thin layer of powder, which at one end forms an igniting medium 6 for this whistling compound and at the other end of the compound forms an igniting medium 7 for the cannon-cracker charge.

The whistling composition is fired by a fuse 8, which is seen as seated and confined partially within, but preferably does not pass through, the powder layer 6, and is preferably secured by cementing to a paper wrapper cemented to the end of the tube. The fuse may, however, be otherwise secured to the end of the tube so long as its end is in contact with or is surrounded by a layer of powder of sufficient thickness to certainly and instantly communicate by a flash the fire of the fuse to the joining end of the combustible whistling compound. The powder layer at the inner end of the whistling-tube on being fired by the burning of the whistling compound ignites by a flash or by sparks the powder loosely contained in the chamber of the cannon-cracker.

It is important to note that the whistlingtube extends within the cannon-chamber, free of contact with its walls, a sufficient distance to render certain the delivery of and difiusion of the flash or sparks to ignite the charge contained, because by reason of the rapid movement of the fire in consuming the whistling compound the effect of the contact of the fire with the powder layer abutting the compound will be to project the powder layer from the end of the tube in sparks into the powder charge of the cannon-cracker.

The powder used for the cannon charge and for the igniter layers of the whistling device is very fine and, as shown in Fig. 3, only partially fills the cannon-chamber, and it is by reason of the partial filling of the chamber that the force of the explosion is increased, and the advantage of combining a terminal poWder-igniter layer with the whistling-tube is apparent.

The projection of the whistling-tube into the cannon-chamber places its firing end practically over the powder charge, increases the duration of the whistling sound, and forms an ejector for sparks into the chamber charge. Thisis one of the features of my improvement, and it is obvious that the whistling-tube so projecting may be used in the cannon-cracker without the powderlayers, which supplement the whistling composition.

Another important feature of my improvement is the closure of the whistling-tube entirely within the chamber formed by the cylindrical body, whereby said tube is protected at its fuse-connected end from liability to be broken from its seat connection in the chargecontaining chamber, and particularly as such seat is formed of a clay plug.

I claim as my improvement 1. In a cannon -cracker, the combination with the chambered body closed by end plugs and partially filled with powder, of a tube open at both ends, of less diameter than said chamber, seated centrally in one of said plugs, extending therefrom into said chamber, and containing a composition capable of emitting a large volume of smoke and flame with a loud shrill Whistling sound.

2. In a cannon-cracker, the combination, with the chambered body closed by end plugs, and partially filled with powder, of a tube open at both ends, of less diameter than the chamber, entirely inclosed by it, centrally seated in one of said plugs, extending into the chamber and outwardfrom said plug, and containing a combustible whistling composition and an igniting-fuse at its firing end.

3. In a cann on-cracker, and in combination with the chambered body thereof partially filled with powder, of a tube supported centrally in a plug closing one end of said chamber, said tube being of less diameter than the chamber, open at both ends, extending into the chamber and outward from said plug, containing a combustible whistling composi tion, an igniting-fuse at its firing end and having a layer of powder between the end of the firing-fuse and the end of said composition.

4. In a cannon-cracker, and in combination with the chambered body thereof partially filledwith powder, of a tube of less diameter than the chamber, supported centrally in a plug closing one end of said chamber, said tube being open at both ends, extending into the chamber and outward from said plug, containing a combustible whistling composition, an igniting-fuse at its firing end and having a layer of powder in its end opening into the chamber and abutting the end of the whistling composition.

5. In a cannon-cracker, and in'combination with the chambered body thereof partially filled with powder, of atube of less diameter than the chamber, supported centrally in a plug closing one end of said chamber, said tube extending into the chamber and outward from said plug, containing a combustible whistling composition, an igniting-fuse at its firing end and having a layer of powder between the end of the fuse and the end of said composition and a layer of powder in its endlopening into the chamber and abutting the end of the whistling composition.

6. In a cannon-cracker and in combination with the chambered body thereof partially filled with powder, of a tube of less diameter than the chamber, supported centrally in a plug closing one end of said chamber, extending into the chamber and outward from said plug, containing a combustible whistling composition supplemented at its firing end by a layer of powder and having the igniting-fuse embedded in the layer of powder.

position, an igniting-fuse at one end, a layer of powder between the end of the fuse and the end of said composition and a layer of :5 powder in its other end abutting the end of said composition.

In testimony whereof I hereunto sign this specification this 22d day of November; 1898.

JOHN ROBERT HINTON.

Witnesses:

CARTER R. BISHOP, E. H. BEAsLEY. 

